“Listen, no one can make you do anything. If you really don’t want to give your scent match another chance, then don’t. But scent matches don’t happen for everyone. Before I met mine, I didn’t even know they existed. You remember—scent matches weren’t ever talked about here. If you’re one of the lucky ones who finds their scent match… you’re way ahead of everyone else.” She shrugs. “If you give him and his pack a chance, you might be surprised, in a good way. Just give it some thought, okay?”
All I can do is nod and say, “Thank you.”
She gives me a smile and a hug before she gets up and leaves, shutting the door behind her. Once she’s gone, I heave a sigh andfall backwards on my bed. My legs dangle off the edge while I stare at the ceiling. I need to get out of this dress, wash off this makeup.
And yet… gosh, I’m so tired. Unreasonably so. It’s like being rejected wore me out in a way nothing’s ever worn me out before. Then again, I’ve never met my scent match and been denied before either, so I suppose I didn’t know whether or not what I was feeling was normal.
Now that I was alone, my heart didn’t hurt so much. My body didn’t feel as ice cold or rigid. I definitely wouldn’t say I’m relaxed, but I’m better than I was at the mixer.
Stupid Valentine’s Day. Stupid mixer. Stupid alpha. All of it is stupid, and I fully regret letting Casey strong-arm me into signing up for it to begin with. I’m not the kind of omega who enjoys those things—then again, I’m not the kind of omega who enjoys anything, really. How depressing is that?
What kind of alpha would want a depressed omega for their pack, anyway? Say that alpha did meet me, say we talked. Say I fell instantly head over heels for him, which I hear is typical for scent matches and clicking with a pack; what would happen if, after that, he decides I’m too depressing to be around? What if he casts me off then? It might just kill me, so I guess it’s better to get it done with now.
I manage to push myself up and get ready for bed. My usual nighttime routine isn’t long; I don’t preen at myself like some of the girls here. It takes me way too long thanks to all the makeup on my face, but eventually I’m in my pajamas and crawl into bed, beneath the covers.
I don’t know what time Casey and the other girls will get back, but if I’m asleep, hopefully no one will wake me up. I’m sure Casey will talk my ear off about her night tomorrow. For now, I really need to get some sleep.
It takes a while, probably because I can’t get the look that alpha gave me out of my head. It was like he was staring at me, but also not. Like he both saw me, realized who I was, and didn’t. But maybe that’s just me reading too much into it, now that I was alone, in my own bed, not freaking out as much.
Regardless, sleep eventually finds me, pulling me into a deep slumber of pitch blackness. No dreams. Nothing at all. Just what I’m used to.
The next morning I’m awoken by a series of knocks on the outside of my door, and since said knocking woke me up, I roll over and mumble, “Come in.” The early morning sun streams through the lone window in the room, but it isn’t enough light to wake me up naturally. Normally I’d be asleep a few hours more before rolling my butt out of bed—at least on a weekend. Weekdays are different.
Casey pokes her head in, then slips inside. A few moments later, she’s making herself comfortable on my bed, beneath my sheets with me. She still wears her fuzzy pajamas, but I can tell by the wide-eyed look on her face, not to mention the bags beneath her eyes, that she didn’t sleep a wink last night.
“Sorry,” she whispers, on her side, facing me. “I couldn’t wait any more.”
I yawn. “What time did you and everyone else get back?”
“Just before two.”
My head would be spinning if I was up that late and then up this early in the morning. My friend is officially insane. “How was it?”
“Oh, I think so many girls found packs, honestly, but we won’t know for sure until Delilah passes out the Valentine’s cards at breakfast.”
I recite what our new headmaster said: “Just because they get a card doesn’t mean they’re automatically going to accept.”
The look she gives me tells me enough. “Look at where we are. N.O.A. might have academy in its name, but it’s basically an orphanage of unwanted or parentless omegas. Anything’s better than what was happening before. At least now we all get a choice. Plus I heard that, if matches are agreed upon, Alabaster Security is going to work on setting up starter apartments for the new packs.”
That’s nice, yes, and even though it’s wrong, a tiny part of me is jealous that most of the other girls had a good night.
Casey quiets as she studies me. “What about you? You left so early. I heard there was drama. What happened?”
Oh, great. I’m the talk of the academy. “I, um… my scent match was there.”
That causes her to sit up and take the warmth and blankets with her. “What?” She practically shrieks out the word, genuinely not believing what I’d just said. “Your scent match… but you left—I don’t get it.”
She’s not the only one who doesn’t get it. “We didn’t even talk. He saw me and then he walked away.” I lean up and yank the blankets off her, tugging them back onto me before laying down. “Iguess he didn’t like what he saw.”
“No way. There has to be more to it.” When I don’t say anything else, my friend lays back down beside me, her eyes even wider than they were before. “That’s crazy. I… I don’t know what to say. I’m sorry. You don’t deserve that.”
I want to agree with her, but at this point, I don’t know what I deserve.
“Shit, girl. And here I was wanting to tell you about the alphas I met.”
“Please, tell me about them. Anything to get my mind off that jerk.”
“There’s three of them,” she says, a wide smile forming on her face. Just like that, she transforms into a different person. “Idon’t know if any are my scent matches, but they all smelled so damn good, it’s like I went feral for them instantly. Let’s just say it was a good thing your girl wore scent-blocking panties—”
